The reliance on electronic assemblies in electronic systems is universal. Electronic assemblies, such as electronic boards, are preformed and mounted or otherwise integrated into the electronic systems. For manufacturing efficiency, the same electronic assemblies are often used in multiple locations. Further, some electronic assemblies can be reconfigured to function in different modes. Proper identification of the location and configuration of the assembly along a communication bus in the electronic system is essential to the proper functioning of the overall system.
Currently, assemblies can be mounted in the assembly and identified on the communication bus by DIP switches or jumpers. An assembler then manually sets the DIP switches or jumpers to a predetermined setting based on instructions for the particular identification of the assembly. These switches or jumpers set an offset so that other portions of the electronic system on the bus know where the assembly is located within the overall system or how the assembly is to function. If the switches or jumpers are not set or incorrectly set, the overall system will typically be unable to identify or function properly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,981 teaches a circuit card mounting shelf apparatus having an automatic identification number setting function without necessitating an artificial operation, such as setting DIP switches. Different electrical connection input/output terminals are wired differently (FIG. 5) for each of the respectively different circuit boards. The different wiring on the circuit boards (apparently short-circuiting different terminals) in conjunction with wiring on the shelf apparatus provides the automatic identification number so that the different boards can perform their intended function. Thus, the same cards are not used in multiple places.
Therefore, there remains a need for improvement in the ready identification of an electronic assembly in a system, especially for the same electronic assembly used in multiple locations in the system.